Lonsdale Great Street plan shapes Central Lonsdale into three distinct characters

The City of North Vancouver Council is set to consider a sweeping revitalization strategy for Central Lonsdale on Monday that would divide the commercial corridor into three distinct zones, each with its own identity and development vision.

The Lonsdale Great Street Plan, prepared by internationally recognized urban design firm Gehl, comes before the City of North Vancouver Council on April 20 for endorsement. The plan spans the stretch of Lonsdale from the Upper Levels Highway in the north down to Victoria Park in the south, and between St. Georges and Chesterfield avenues.

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At the heart of the plan is the concept of Character Areas — a framework that acknowledges different parts of the corridor have different strengths and different futures.

The northernmost zone, anchored by the Harry Jerome Community Recreation Centre, is primarily residential in character today. The plan envisions it gradually evolving into a more active community hub over time.

The Central Character Area — the busy, independent-business-lined stretch most residents think of when they picture Lonsdale — would be guided toward preserving exactly what makes it work: smaller-scale buildings, fine-grained retail spaces, and a pedestrian-oriented feel. The plan specifically flags the area’s significant concentration of Persian businesses as part of its cultural identity worth protecting. The southernmost zone, already a lively mixed-use node around Victoria Park and Civic Plaza, would build on that existing energy.

According to the report to the council, the character area framework is meant to guide investment and planning decisions without immediately changing zoning or permitted density.

The broader plan is structured around three goals: helping businesses thrive, improving livability through planning and design, and enhancing public space, the report says.  The report notes that community engagement conducted in early 2025 through surveys, pop-up events, and a public open house fed into the plan’s development.

A number of early improvements were already completed in late 2025 — power washing, decorative lighting in trees, graffiti removal, accessibility grinding on sidewalk edges, and holiday parklet decorations, among them. More are planned for 2026, including movable accessible street furniture, painted light poles, new plantings and rain gardens, expanded seasonal lighting, and Remembrance Day parade banners along the parade route.

On the business support side, the city plans to back the newly formed Central Lonsdale Business Improvement Association as it gets off the ground, and to develop a legacy business program to recognize long-standing local businesses.

Longer-term, the plan calls for a prototype block redesign in the Central Character Area that would experiment with rebalancing street space — potentially widening pedestrian zones, formalizing parklets, and adding seating and planting areas while maintaining parking and vehicle access. That work is tied to a broader Transportation Network Plan update running through 2026 and 2027, and would involve further engagement with businesses and residents before anything is built.

The plan carries a total budget of $2.1 million, most of it from a Growing Communities Fund grant. About $1.14 million has already been spent on planning and engagement, leaving roughly $891,000 for 2026 implementation. Future phases would require the Council to approve additional funding.